Fan



A. J. AYL ESWORTH.

FAN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29| 192l- Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

mental i n We ARTHUR ll. AYLESWORTH, 01B LAKESIDE, MICHIGAN.

FAN.

Application filed August 29, 1921.

'1 0 all whom may concern:

Be it known. that l, ARTHUR J. .lirnns- \vpn'rii, citizen of the United States, residing at Lakes ie, in the county of lderrien and filtate of lllichigan, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Fans, of which the il ollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

lily invention relates to hand operated de vices in which reciprocating movement is translated into rotary movement, the invention being of particular utility in the construction of hand operated fans, though it is not to be limited to such use. The invention herein disclosed is broadly but not specifically claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 450,153, filed March 7, 1921. T he device disclosed in said copending application includes a reciprocable gear actuating element which is manually operable in one direction, when employed in hand operated device, and is given'restorin qmovement by means of a light spring. There is a guide for confining this gear actuating element to its line of travel and this guide is tubular to constitute it also a lulusinp; for the gearing and a handle by which the entire device may be held. The load shaft is co-axial with said tubular housing' which carries suitable bearings for it. The gear element that is actuated by the aforesaid reciprocable gear actuating: element surrounds the load shaft on which it is loose and is capable of limited movement longgjtudinally thereof. This element is termed to have a spiral thread that is engaged by the reciprocable gear actuating element when this actuating element is moved in one direction by hand, the gear element engaged thereby being brought into driving engagement or connection with the load shaft that it thereafter rotates. W'hcn the actuating hand pressure upon the gear actuating element is released at the conclusion of or at any point in the travel of this actuating element, said gear element is disengaged from the load shaft by the action of the light spring which then is also efiective to place the gear actuating element at one limit of its travel.

My present invention has for one object the simplification of the structure of my aforesaid application and for another object the elimination of the spring. in carrying out my invention to realize both of its objects I provide thumb and finger holds Serial No. 496,209.

whereby the spiral gear may be manually shifted in both directions.

The ii'ivention will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawing. showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. l is a perspective View of the complete device; Fig. 2 is longitudinal view, partially in section ant. partially in elevation; Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on a larger scale. on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4.- is a perspective view of portions of the spiral gear and load shaft in separated relation.

Lilre parts are indicated by similar characters or eference throughout the different figures.

As illustrated, the load shaft 1 is journaled at its ends upon bearings 2 and 3 that are at the opposite ends of a tubular shell 4'.

Fan blades 5 are illustrated in ti e present embodiment of the invention as the load which is to be driven by said shaft. As illustrated, these blades are fixed upon the shaft, but the invention. is not to be thus liiited.

A spiral 6 surrounds and is loose upon the load shaft and is adapted to move longitudinally of the shalt to a limited ex tent defined by the outer shaft ring 3 and the inner shaft flange 7. For economy and simplicity of construction the spiral gear 6 is a spiral helix oi still wire whose inner end is brought into driving engagement with the inner sha'l t flange 7 which is formed with teeth 8 "for engagement with said inner end of the wire helix. The spiral gear is movable longitudinally oi? the shaft to the limited extent permitted by the ring 8 and flange 7 and is also rotated by means of the gear actuating" element 9 movable longitudinally oil the shaft and directly guided in its travel by a slot '10 that is formed longitudinally in the shell l and in which slot the gear actuating eleniient slides. The gear actuating element 9 is preferably in the form of a pin that enters the spiral space defined by the wire of the spiral gear. This pin is carried by a cylindrical sliding sleeve 11 that is slidable along the shell. 4-. Movement longitudinally of the shell 4: is imparted to the pin 9 by means of pressure applied by the thumb inserted. through the thumb hold 12 and pressure applied by a finger, upon the same hand, inserted through the finger hold 13. These thumb and fine'er 11 will be moved along the shell 4; when the thumb and finger are spread apart as well as when they are mutually approached. When the holds 12 and 13 are mutually approached, the pin 9, guided by the slot 10, will depress the spiral gear 6 to engage the end thereof that is remote from the fan blades with some tooth 8 upon the flange 7 to couple the spiral gear 6 with the shaft 1 and there after force the rotation of the shaft and the fan blades 5, or other load, carried thereby. When the holds are moved away from each other the pin 9 lifts the spiral gear out of driving connection with the shaft, this gear thereafter being idly rotated without rotating the shaft. 1 thus dispense with the light spring that was disclosed in my aforesaid application for lifting the spiral gear out of driving connection with the shaft. I do not wish to be limited, however, to the elimination of the spring.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention l: do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. The combination with a loan shaft; of a longitudinally slotted shell enclosing said shaft and in which said shaft is journaled; a spiral gear loose with respect to and movable longitudinally of said shaft in opposite directions, said gear and shaft having formations which are engageable when the gear is moved along the shaft in one direction to establish driving connection between the gear and shaft, said gear being separable from driving connection with the shaft when the gear is moved longitudinally of the shaft in the reverse direction; a gear shifting and turning element passing through the longitudinal slot in the shell into engagement with the gear; and a sleeve enclosing said shell and along which it is movable in opposite directions, said sleeve carrying saic gear actuating element.

2. The combination with a load shaft; of a longitudinally slotted shell enclosing said shaft and in which said shaft is journaled;

a spiral gear loose with respect to and movable longitudinally of said shaft in opposite directions, said gear and shaft having formations which are engageable when the gear is moved along the shaft in one direction to establish driving connection between the gear and shaft, said gear being separable from driving connection with the shaft when the gear is moved longitudinally of the shaft in the reverse direction; a gear shift hand pressure along the shell in either direction.

3. The combination with a load shaft; of a longitudinally slotted shell enclosing said shaft and in which said shaft is journaled;

a spiral gear loose with respect to and movable longitudinally of said shaft in opposite directions, said gear and shaft having formations which are engageable when the gear is moved along the shaft in one direction to establish driving connection between the gear and shaft, said gear being separable from driving connection with the shaft when tile gear is moved longitudinally of the shaft in the reverse direction; a gear shifting and turning element passing through the longitudinal slot in the shell into engagement with the gear; and thumb and linger holds, one connected with the actuating element and one upon the shell, these holds being formed to be subject to manual pressure when the thumb and finger engaging them are moved toward and from each other whereby the gear actuating element is movable by hand pressure along the shell in either direction.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 26th day of August A. D.,

ARTHUR J. AYLESWORTH. 

